Have you ever been hurt or offended by someone? If you haven’t, you probably haven’t lived long or you need to get out a bit more. Everyone gets hurt – many times, either intentionally or unintentionally.
When other people hurt us we have two options.
1. Our first and natural response is often one of anger, bitterness, resentment, hatred or even revenge. We want to make the other person pay. Unfortunately, this type of response stops the healing process, which results in dramatic affects on us physically, emotionally, relationally and spiritually. We were not designed to live with the destructive poison of bitterness on the inside of us.
2. The second possible response is to forgive. To forgive means to give up the right to revenge, to give up the desire to punish or get even, and to surrender our right to hurt the person back.
Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily mean reconciliation. It doesn’t mean we should avoid confronting an issue or stay in an abusive relationship. However, forgiveness pleases God, it frees us and it has the potential to stop the cycle of pain and revenge.
Forgiveness … think about it.